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Graduate Program: Requirements for the Master of Science Program in Dental Public Health

Application Procedures

All applicants must have taken either the GRE or DAT exam. International applicants must have taken the GRE (or DAT) and TOEFL examinations and apply by November 1 of the year prior to the intended start of the program. U.S./Canadian applicants should take the GRE or DAT and apply by November1, but later U.S./Canadian applications can sometimes still be considered.

Application and Enrollment Timetable

Applicants selected as finalists will be invited for an in-person or telephone interview that typically occurs in December or January, followed by admission decisions soon thereafter. Orientation is typically the last week of June, with the program starting about July 1.

Curricular Design

Our program is a two-year program that includes formal coursework in biostatistics, epidemiology, health care policy and management, environmental health and behavioral sciences, as well as a field experience component. The program requires completion of a minimum of 40 semester hours of academic credit, as well as completion of a thesis based on original research. The program also requires successful completion of a comprehensive examination after completing the first year of the program. The program is designed be completed in about 22 months (e.g., begin July 1, 2018 and graduate in early May, 2020), but most students require an additional summer session to complete the thesis, so that typical time to complete the program is 25 months.

The academic program starts in late June (rather than in the fall). In consultation with the graduate program director, students will develop a plan of study, which includes a set of required courses and appropriate electives. This course of study fulfills the requirements set forth by the American Board of Dental Public Health for certification. Thus, upon completion of our program, graduates are educationally qualified to take the ABDPH exam and become board-certified in Dental Public Health, with no need to complete a separate residency. Our program also requires completion of a thesis project that requires the student to complete a significant research project and complete a written thesis describing the research.